A bus service connecting Pakistan and China through the high-altitude Khunjerab border pass was resumed on Tuesday after 14 years, thanks to a partnership between a Pakistani government-owned company and a leading Chinese transportation organization. Locals have welcomed the initiative, believing it will bring new economic opportunities to the region.
The service, which links Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region, was suspended in 2010 following a devastating landslide in Hunza’s Attabad village that damaged a section of the Karakoram Highway. The landslide killed at least 20 people and displaced 6,000. The road has since been repaired by the GB government, and the Northern Areas Transportation Company (Natco), in collaboration with the Chinese firm Xinjiang-Kashgar Xin Lu Transportation Co. Ltd., has restored the bus service from Gilgit to Kashgar.
Natco’s Managing Director, Aziz Ahmed Jamali, confirmed that the service resumed officially on Tuesday, operating twice a week with a fare of Rs18,000 ($64.69) per passenger. The service is expected to accommodate 320 passengers each month. Natco, which has been operating in Gilgit-Baltistan since 1974, serves around 500,000 passengers annually on 40 routes.
The resumption of the service is seen as a significant step to strengthen economic ties between Pakistan and China, with trade between the two countries predominantly consisting of Chinese exports to Pakistan. The bus service is expected to save time for traders and improve economic opportunities by enhancing connectivity.
Iman Shah, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of GB, described the service as essential for accelerating travel and trade. He recalled traveling to China from Gilgit in 2003-2004, noting that modern buses would make the journey even more beneficial for both countries.
Despite recent attacks on Chinese interests in Pakistan, including a suicide blast that killed six Chinese engineers in March and a bombing near Karachi airport that killed two Chinese nationals, Shah assured that the semi-government nature of Natco would make people feel safer.
Local businessmen like Muhammad Iqbal also expressed optimism, seeing the restored bus service as a positive development for both Pakistan and China, especially for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, where many are involved in trade and tourism.
